Mosasaurus

The Mosasaurus was a genus of small to monstrous sea-dwelling reptiles that lived in the waters of the Late Cretaceous oceans during the Maastrichtian geologic timescale. It included the species of mosasaurs viz. M. missouriensis, M. conodon, M. lemonnieri, and M. beaugei. These carnivores are often referred to as the ‘T-Rex of the seas’.

Pictures

Mosasaurus

Mosasaurus Dinosaur

Mosasaurus Tooth

Mosasaurus Fossil

Mosasaurus Jaw

Mosasaurus Size

Mosasaurus Skeleton

Picture of Mosasaurus

Scientific
Classification

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Chordata

Class

Reptilia

Order

Squamata

Superfamily

†Mosasauroidea

Family

†Mosasauridae

Tribe

†Mosasaurini

Genus

†Mosasaurus

Quick Facts

Pronunciation

Moe-za-sore-us

Geological Period

Late Cretaceous period (around 70 and 66 mya)

Maximum Size

Largest specimens were 15 to 18 meters in
length

Weight

Around 15 tons (estimated adult mass)

Average Lifespan

Unknown

Location/Distribution &
Habitat

In the waters between Western Europe and
North America, but probably even further afield

Diet

Carnivorous

Birth Type (Reproduction)

Oviparous (egg-laying)

Locomotion

Bipedal – Quadruped

History
and Discovery

It was back in 1764 that the mosasaur fossils were first described after they were found in a limestone quarry on the Meuse
River in Holland. The ancient, enormous creature was so named since the initial
remains were discovered close to the Meuse River, near the town of Maastricht
in the Netherlands.

However, shreds of
evidence suggest that the Native Americans from the Midwestern parts of
the United States discovered the remains of this intimidating aquatic creature long
before the fossils were officially described
for the first time.

Eventually, after its official discovery, the
scientific name Mosasaurus hoffmanni was given to honor of paleontologist
Dr. C. K. Hoffman who studied the skeletal remains and presumed them to be belonging
to a prehistoric giant crocodile.

The feud for owning the fossil relates
a very unusual story. In 1795, it was confiscated by the French army in
exchange for several cases of wine. Since then, the remains still stands inside
Paris’s French National Museum.

Much later, in 1845, a German naturalist named Dr.
George August Goldfuss described the creature the remains of which were unearthed from the wilds of present-day
Dakota by publishing his papers.

Eventually, the specimen had been acquired by Prince Maximilian zu
Wied, a German explorer, ethnologist, and
naturalist, during his visit to North America. It still remains as one of the items in the Goldfuss collection of Germany’s
Natural History Museum at the University of Bonn.

Physical
Description & Behavior

The body size
of the species belonging to this genus could be anything between 3 and over 50
feet, which means, they were as gigantic as the megalodon. Some, like the dallasaurus, were as small as 3 feet, whereas
the others, like the tylosaurus, were the
largest. However, most of the mosasaurs were around 10 feet in length.

While the
body was barrel-shaped ending in a strong tail, their skull was
elongated, with considerably large eyes, but having poor binocular vision. Like
other contemporary land reptiles, they are thought to give out roaring sounds.

By
evolution, these reptiles possessed typical snake-like jaws with rows of large
and sharp teeth. The jaws were double-hinged
that allowed them to swallow their meals almost
whole, much like the modern-day crocodilians. Because of this behavior, several
specimens of unchewed prey have been discovered
along with some fossil remains.

They had two
pairs of reduced limbs modified into flippers, with the front pair being larger
than the back, adapted for the purpose of
swimming through the ocean waters.

The entire
body was also covered in very dark-colored
smooth scales. These creatures had to come to the surface of the water to
breathe air, quite like the modern-day whales and sea turtles.

Diet

These
carnivores were the apex predators in their ecosystem, attacking other marine
reptiles like giant turtles, marine crocodiles, plesiosaurs, and even preying
on several species of large fish including sharks, as well as ammonites and sea
birds. Additionally, the larger mosasaurs would also feast upon the smaller
ones.

Interesting
Facts

The early Native Americans drew images of
these giant lizards. They believed these fossils were the remains of
mythological beings named Wakinyan
(thunder beings) and Unktehila
(water monsters), and possessed
supernatural powers.

A recent study conducted in 2015 argued that
the Mosasaurs gave live birth to young ones in the open ocean.

Published on March 17th 2019 by admin under Reptiles.
Article was last reviewed on 13th September 2019.